The Blog about No Blogs

Well, well – it has been a VERY long time since I last wrote.  But I can and will explain my lack of action.

Once I started teaching January 18^th, my schedule became very busy.  I awoke at about 7a.m., helped prepare breakfast, cleaned myself up with a washcloth and basin of water, then went off to the KBTC office.  There I worked on course curriculum before and after teaching.  I would also assist with some KBTC administrative duties (like making student I.D. cards) and try to leave sometime between 5 and 5:30 p.m.

Upon arriving home I lit the jiko, the little cooker fuelled by wood charcoal.  Some days it was more cooperative than others.  Gradually my skill improved – which was good when the rainy season arrived!  I cooked supper for the three of us, one pot at a time.  Supper was generally ready between 8 and 9 p.m.  After eating I relaxed briefly before going to bed.  Some nights I went right to bed after supper!  That was my Monday to Friday schedule, though on Mondays and Fridays I didn’t teach, so I worked on other tasks during that time.

The weekends in January were filled with report writing for my own education.  The first weekend I didn’t have a report to work on I was sick with a cold.  My body needed a break!  Then the fun began as I had the opportunity to explore other parts of the country.

First I went to Ejinja, where I had a good chance to actually relax – when I wasn’t fighting off mosquitoes!  The following weekend I went to a rural area outside of Eldoret, where I met some farmers.  They had been attending workshops provided by KBTC, and I was able to talk to them about nutrition (with a translator).   We visited them again the second weekend in March.  At that time they put what they learned into practice and dug a garden bed, biointensive agriculture style.  It took place in a school yard that had nothing but dust and weeds growing on the surface.  The farmers had their work cut out for them, as there was a hardpan about a foot down, which they had to dig through.  They used a jembe, a type of hoe, for all the hard work.  They were tired but proud when done!

After the first trip to Eldoret we went to Busia, a border town.  And it isn’t just next to the border – it is split in half by the Kenya/Uganda border.  I visited both sides, and found the Ugandan side more lush and less developed than most of the land I’ve seen in Kenya.  We spent extra time there as I was trying to bail my friend out of the police station through the hotel manager.  My friend had stopped to assist with cyclist accident, and ended up being charged for some unrelated traffic violations.  Could have been cleared up quickly, but his cell phone battery was nearly dead and he couldn’t reach me right away . . . sigh.  It all worked out in the end, but I learned a lot that weekend!  It is a big disadvantage being white here, as people take advantage of ‘mzungas’ because they believe they are walking bank machines.

I also spent a number of days in Nairobi.  We visited another organisation that uses and promotes biointensive agriculture.  It was very interesting and inspiring, but also provided some information on what we don’t want KBTC to be about.  The next co-op student arrived to adjust before teaching next month.  It was much more enjoyable than my first time in Nairobi!  Though I don’t think I had as much sleep. 

I am off to Nairobi again this week, but this time for my flight back to Canada.  Rather than be sad about leaving, I’m keeping in perspective that I will be returning!  The three months I’ve been here have passed very quickly, and I’m sure the three months I’ll be in Canada will pass quickly too.  Time really does seem to be picking up speed!  I hope to access the proper software for shrinking the photos, and get some of them posted on my Flickr page.  Until then, it’s been great here and I look forward to filling in the details later!